It's the ultimate accessory for that fancy diploma they just placed in your hands. Not a frame, no. How about a job to go with it?
Pay attention, anxious parents, recent grads and anyone currently in the process of choosing a college major who would like to earn a healthy income post-graduation.
According to LinkedIn, the 2018 college graduating class will be applying for certain jobs in record numbers.
There are more students graduating than ever before (according to the National Center for Education Statistics), and hiring authority LinkedIn identified numerous companies, industries and locations where they are most likely to apply based on 2016-17 figures. Experts at the career site picked a short list of popular jobs for this spring's graduating class, including one sought-after job description that pays more than $90,000 annually.
So, if you want to go where the competition isn't, it's good to know that these seven jobs are like magnets (or free pizza, or naps) in their ability to draw lots of recent grads to apply.
Here are seven of the most popular jobs for 2018 college grads, along with the median income to expect:
$58,000
New York City was No. 1 on LinkedIn's list of the Top U.S. Cities Hiring New Grads and it hired the most entry level folks in Marketing and Advertising spots like this one. Hello, Big Apple?
$92,300
Yep, this is the heaviest hitter on the list, offering a $90K-plus income right out of school. Seattle is just one of the cities that needs software engineers–and it's also No. 10 on LinkedIn's list of the "Top 10 U.S. Cities Hiring New Grads."
$45,000
The Information Age is still hopping, and graphic designer hopefuls must make sure they've got what it takes to convey information across a wide variety of visual communication media. According to LinkedIn, Chicago and New York are both hiring for lots of marketing, advertising and Internet spots.
$85,000
Another one of the top-earning entry-level jobs for 2018 college grads is also a popular job description at some of the companies that did a lot of entry-level hiring in 2017, including Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase and Morgan Stanley. But you can only fill the investment banking analyst role if your education (like a bachelor's in finance, accounting or economics) has prepared you for duties like performing valuation analyses and building detailed financial models.
Credit: Contributed
Credit: Contributed
$38,000
Many different college degrees would qualify a graduate for at least some administrative spots, but one of the top degrees for this position is psychology, according to LinkedIn.
$48,000
It's only a little amusing that one of the most sought-after spots for first jobs involves helping companies hire much more experienced people... According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, human resources specialists who work as recruiters may travel extensively to attend job fairs, visit college campuses and meet with applicants. Applicants usually need a bachelor's degree in human resources, business or a related field, but the BLS said that might vary by position and employer. It anticipated the human resources specialist job outlook overall to grow about 7 percent between 2016 and 2026, which is about average.
$40,000
Account executive also makes the list, but account coordinator (which pays about 30 percent less) is a bit more accessible for folks with college degrees, client service skills and eyes for detail. Account coordinator was just one example of a job people with a degree in marketing would be qualified for, and Marketing was No. 2 on LinkedIn's list of "The top 10 majors that led to the most varied types of opportunities after graduation."
And whether you're looking for a job with the fewest competitors or are happy to run with the pack heading for the most sought-after spots, make sure you consider this job-seeking advice. (And you thought you were through with lectures.) "Get 'em while they're hot." According to LinkedIn, the best time to apply is "right now." For 2017, LinkedIn identified April through June as the months when the most grads were hired into entry-level jobs.
Didn't march, not quite done, traveling to Europe this summer? "If you're not ready yet, don't worry," LinkedIn experts advised. "August is another hot time to apply."
